"A book holds a house of gold," said Johari Abdul, speaker of Malaysia's House of Representatives, quoting an old Chinese saying at a readers' forum on Thursday in Kuala Lumpur, where the book under discussion was the English edition of the fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China.

For Johari and other Malaysian attendees at the event, the saying pointed to the broader value of the book, which offers readers a window on China's governance philosophy, development priorities and approach to international cooperation.

Against the backdrop of an evolving geopolitical landscape and profound changes in the global governance system, deeper exchanges between China and Malaysia on governance experience are of great significance to deepening bilateral friendship, mutual trust and win-win cooperation, they said.

Published in both Chinese and English last year, the fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China contains 91 spoken and written works of Xi from May 27, 2022, to Dec 20, 2024. Thursday's forum brought together about 200 participants from publishing, media and other sectors in China and Malaysia.

Johari said that all the five volumes of the book represent an effort to articulate a governance philosophy — one that explains how a nation understands its development priorities and role in the world.

Engaging with such a book, Johari said, allows readers to better understand the thinking behind China's policy directions. For Malaysia, this is important not simply as an observer, but also as a longstanding partner that seeks to engage with China thoughtfully and constructively, he added.

Anwar Ridhwan, chairman of the board of directors of the Institute of Language and Literature of Malaysia, said the book represents more than a translation of language — it is also "a translation of ideas, perspectives and aspirations across cultures".

In an increasingly interconnected world, understanding one another is not a luxury but a necessity, Anwar said, adding that the book is expected to help Malaysian readers gain a clearer view of China's development goals, governance philosophy and its place in the global community.

Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said the book's discussions on the Belt and Road Initiative, new quality productive forces, green and coordinated development, scientific and technological innovation, and the integration of the digital and real economies respond to key issues in global development.

These ideas also provide inspiration for Malaysia as it considers its own modernization path, he said, noting that Malaysia's Madani vision — a national development framework introduced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim — and China's governance philosophy share highly consistent development aspirations.

Ngeow Chow Bing, director of the Institute of China Studies at Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, said that China's development journey over the past several decades represents one of the most remarkable transformations in modern history.

China's approach, he said, is not purely economic in a narrow sense, but multidimensional, integrating industrial upgrading, infrastructure development, technological innovation and social improvement.

"Such a holistic approach resonates with many developing countries, including Malaysia, which also prioritize balanced and inclusive growth," Bing said.

Neo Chee Hua, CEO of the Southeast Asia Research Centre for Humanities, said the fifth volume of the book focuses on high-quality development, high-level opening-up, win-win cooperation and building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Many of the important concepts in the book are reflected in China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), while the 13th Malaysia Plan also emphasizes economic resilience, supply chain security and structural reform in response to a more uncertain global environment, he noted.

The two countries are therefore highly aligned on many key issues, which lays an important foundation for deeper and more substantive Malaysia-China cooperation, he added.

Dato' Abdul Majid Ahmad Khan, president of the Malaysia-China Friendship Association and former Malaysian ambassador to China, said the forum provided an important opportunity for intellectual exchange and mutual understanding, particularly in appreciating China's governance philosophy and its broader vision for global cooperation.

mojingxi@chinadaily.com.cn